Customer Reviews

Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football

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Matt Chaney's book, like others of its kind, will likely fall on mostly deaf ears...and that's a damn shame. Featuring a comprehensive look at the media and institutional portrayal of steroids in football as well as a history of their use across all levels of the game (from high school up to the professional level), the writing is dagger-sharp, clear, and unflinching. Names are named, but is not done to ostracize the users so much as to display just how widespread the issue is and how deep the institutional denial runs. Anyone can make spectacular claims by "outing" a famous athlete in an attempt to capitalize off of it (see: Jose Canseco), but Spiral of Denial avoids this, instead using a number of specific instances as examples of the fallout created the problem at large. It backs up its claims, big and small, with meticulous research, featuring hundreds of cited sources to support its examples.

If you, even for a second, wondered about steroids in football or found yourself trashing the few "cheats" who tested positive for steroids, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

The author, Matt Chaney, has written the most informative and well researched book dealing with steroids and football. Drawing on his own experiences from a Division II program, he masterfully tells an amazing story. Over 400 pages, this book is a quick read.